I just picked up my copy of O Magazine to find an article about a true renaissance man by the name of Darin Olien. A few months back, I had the pleasure of interviewing the man dubbed as “The Ingredient Hunter”.

Darin travels the globe to exotic and often remote locales seeking ingredients for the top quality products and supplements you see in your health food store. He has formulated countless products including one I use daily called Shakeology (www.shakeology.com/mindoverfatter). He is also a man of incredible heart and integrity, which made for an amazing and intriguing interview.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of O Magazine to read “Good Morning, World” about Darin and editor-in-shief Susan Casey’s amazing trek to Peru and listen to my interview with Darin for more insider info at http://darinsnaturals.com/media/

Oh…and Oprah, next time you’re looking for great people, just give me a ring!

L&G to all you beautiful people~

Erin

This past week I lost at least 8 pounds.  I also had the stomach flu. 

Now, I realize this is not typically where one’s mind goes while hugging the porcelain, but given the fact I had to pull it together and facilitate a teleseminar on body transformation, I immediately began to think about diets.

It seems every week there is a new and improved instant weight loss plan.  From Atkins to South Beach, LAP band to HCG, pills, potions, creams, belly jigglers, and crazy stand-on-your-head-for-an-hour-a-day diets (ok…I may be making that last one up, but heck, maybe I could start a craze!).  I began to wonder.  If I started advertising “Guaranteed to lose 5-10 pounds in 5 days or less!” would people buy?  If the asterisk simply stated side effects include, but not limited to: vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, muscle soreness and fatigue and typically did not last more than 5 days, would people jump on the bandwagon?  Who knows, they might even buy if I said, “I lost 10 pounds on the Puke-Your-Guts-Out-Diet and it only took 5 Days!”  If they try all the others, why not?  It’s over in 5 days anyway.  Wait another 30 and repeat until you reach the desired result.  Or just take a month long sabbatical and come back 30 pounds lighter. 

When speaking with clients about nutrition, one of my first recommendations for fat loss is to cut out gluten (but ideally all grains) for 30 days.  “I CAN’T give up pasta!” “I’ll die without my BREAD!” “You mean NO COOKIES OR CRACKERS OR ANYTHING!!”  And then they’ll say something like, “Hey, I just heard about this M.D. who is prescribing seizure meds off-label for people to lose weight and my friend looks so skinny now!” (Sadly, this is not a joke.) “What do you think about that?”  Oh, the irony!

Are we really so obsessed with being “skinny” that we have forgotten about being “healthy”?  I think maybe so.  I am clearly aware that there are myriad roads to “skinny”, I am also sadly aware that the vast majority of those roads do not also lead to “healthy”.  Nutrition and exercise do not have the same glamorous appeal as “Lipo” and “LAP Band”, and I am beginning to worry about a nation that puts stock in these hair-brained ideas that have left millions wondering why they failed to regain their health and continue the battle with the bulge. 

My approach to health and fat loss is very simple.  You won’t measure your food, count calories, eat with military precision, stand on one foot to eat, or do crazy backflips (unless, of course, you want to).  There are no gimmicks, no pills, no potions or lotions.  I offer guidelines and inspiration to be active in a way that brings joy to you.  I offer you the opportunity to heal from the inside, out.

It may not be the quickest, the flashiest, or the trendiest, but it is most definitely the healthiest and more importantly, it is lasting.  I can offer you what none of these “fads” can…a lifetime of health.  What would you do if you had it?

Love, Gratitude, and Health~

Erin

February will not be complete lest you encounter an arrow-slinging cherub or two and several hundred hearts.  Funny how a holiday with such commercial origins can have us pondering a universal concept such as love.

I wonder what would happen if this year, we all took that same time and energy typically devoted to the expectations of our significant others (and often, the resulting disappointment) and instead devoted time learning to love ourselves.

It typically does not require Herculean effort to pat ourselves on the back for our wins, our successes, our triumphs and our accomplishments.  It can, however, be very difficult to love our losses, our fatal flaws, and our stretch marks.  Oh yes.  Our stretch marks.

Upon exiting the shower the other day, I noticed something different than usual.  Of course, after gaining and losing a few hundred pounds and carrying a child for over 10 months, I knew they were there; but they were often something I chose to ignore.  And on occasion, though I hate to admit, they were even the subject of self-loathing.  I chose, as many do, to view the lines as something I needed to get rid of, take care of, and completely eliminate. 

But that day, they meant something different.  You see, never before had I looked at these lines on my body with pride, appreciation, or (dare I say it) love, but as I began to recognize each as a badge of glory, something began to shift.

For the first time, I began to realize how proud I was of the fact I had overcome my seemingly unending “battle of the bulge”.  I appreciated the lines for allowing my body to carry my son until he was ready to enter the world as a fully-developed, healthy newborn.  I loved the lines for each was a reminder of the lessons I had learned, the challenges I had overcome, and the courage I had mustered.  Each line had allowed me the space I needed to grow (yes, both literally and figuratively). I was learning to love my stretch marks.

Each of us has a body part, a personality “flaw”, or a challenge that when forced to face it, we cringe.  Most often, what immediately follows is some form of head chatter that sounds a far cry from accolades.  The chatter may never completely vacate your vocabulary; however, appreciating each and every part of yourself is the first step to truly loving yourself.  And loving yourself is, after all, the first step to loving others.

So, here’s to your stretch marks!  May they serve to remind you just how far you have come.

*Note: Erin is currently featured in the Next Top Self-Help Author for her work on this topic.  To find out more or to support this work click below.

http://www.nexttopauthor.com/profile.cfm?aid=536

February will not be complete lest you encounter an arrow-slinging cherub or two and several hundred hearts.  Funny how a holiday with such commercial origins can have us pondering a universal concept such as love.

I wonder what would happen if this year, we all took that same time and energy typically devoted to the expectations of our significant others (and often, the resulting disappointment) and instead devoted time learning to love ourselves.

It typically does not require Herculean effort to pat ourselves on the back for our wins, our successes, our triumphs and our accomplishments.  It can, however, be very difficult to love our losses, our fatal flaws, and our stretch marks.  Oh yes.  Our stretch marks.

Upon exiting the shower the other day, I noticed something different than usual.  Of course, after gaining and losing a few hundred pounds and carrying a child for over 10 months, I knew they were there; but they were often something I chose to ignore.  And on occasion, though I hate to admit, they were even the subject of self-loathing.  I chose, as many do, to view the lines as something I needed to get rid of, take care of, and completely eliminate. 

But that day, they meant something different.  You see, never before had I looked at these lines on my body with pride, appreciation, or (dare I say it) love, but as I began to recognize each as a badge of glory, something began to shift.

For the first time, I began to realize how proud I was of the fact I had overcome my seemingly unending “battle of the bulge”.  I appreciated the lines for allowing my body to carry my son until he was ready to enter the world as a fully-developed, healthy newborn.  I loved the lines for each was a reminder of the lessons I had learned, the challenges I had overcome, and the courage I had mustered.  Each line had allowed me the space I needed to grow (yes, both literally and figuratively). I was learning to love my stretch marks.

Each of us has a body part, a personality “flaw”, or a challenge that when forced to face it, we cringe.  Most often, what immediately follows is some form of head chatter that sounds a far cry from accolades.  The chatter may never completely vacate your vocabulary; however, appreciating each and every part of yourself is the first step to truly loving yourself.  And loving yourself is, after all, the first step to loving others.

So, here’s to your stretch marks!  May they serve to remind you just how far you have come.

Love and Gratitude for you–stretch marks and all~

Erin